Description
BACKGROUND: Pharmacist scope of practice in the United States has expanded to include prescribing hormonal contraception in over 30 states and the District of Columbia. Community pharmacies are highly accessible and have the potential to improve access to contraception, particularly in areas with limited reproductive health services. Despite this expansion, utilization of pharmacy-based contraception prescribing remains low. It is unclear whether this is due to lack of patient awareness, lack of interest, or misalignment between available services and patient preferences. Therefore, this study used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to assess patient preferences for key attributes of pharmacy-based contraception services. METHODS: Female participants of reproductive age (18-49) were recruited through an online survey panel (Conjointly). A total of 194 participants completed the DCE. Participants completed approximately 12 choice tasks, each presenting three hypothetical pharmacy service options varying across six attributes: cost, distance to pharmacy, contraceptive methods available, prescription duration, appointment scheduling options, and consultation time. Attribute levels were systematically varied (e.g. cost ranging from $20 to $50). Preference data were analyzed to estimate the relative importance of each attribute. RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that cost and range of methods available were the most influential attributes in patient decision-making. Attributes such as appointment scheduling options, prescription duration, and consultation time were of less importance. While many respondents reported awareness of pharmacist-prescribed contraception and expressed comfort with the service, cost of consultation not being covered by insurance and limitations in the ability to receive comprehensive care (e.g., lack of preventive screenings) were identified as potential barriers to utilization. IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest that reducing out-of-pocket costs and expanding contraceptive methods may improve uptake of pharmacy-based contraception services. Importantly, results indicate that patient interest and comfort with pharmacist-prescribed contraception are higher than may be perceived by pharmacists, suggesting that low utilization may not reflect lack of demand. Instead, structural barriers such as cost and limited service availability may play a larger role. Increasing the number of pharmacies offering these services and addressing financial barriers may be critical to improving access and support policy efforts to expand contraception access.
Publication Info
2026.